HOPE Vol. 6 No. 3 summer 2011

2 HOPE // SUMMER 2011 www.SistersofProvidence.org 3
HOwithinPE
Features
Cover story 4
Valuing education
Guerin College Prep 6
A pleasant sounding instrument
Providence Cristo Rey 8
Opening new doors
Woods Day Care/Pre-School 10
Loving the children first
SMWC 12
A gadget-happy sister
Departments
Partners in our mission 16
Alumnae/i news 18
Newsnotes 19
Obituaries 20
Sustainable living 21
Upcoming events 22
Photo album 23
Mission Statement:
The purpose of HOPE is to extend the energy and power
of Providence to our friends by sharing information about
the mission, spirituality and ministries of the Sisters of
Providence of Saint Mary-of-the-Woods, Indiana.
Volume 6 • No. 3
summer 2011
Executive Editor:
Sister Rosemary Schmalz
Editors:
Sister Ann Casper and
Diane Weidenbenner
Publication
Manager/Designer:
Connie McCammon
Cover Photos:
Sister Dawn Tomaszewski
Cover Designer:
Pam Lynch
Editorial Board:
Rosie Blankenship, Christina Blust,
Cheryl Casselman, Andrew Conner,
Dave Cox, Sue Heck, Becky Igo,
Sister Jeanne Knoerle,
Sister Bernice Kuper,
Sandy Scroggins, Sister Joan Zlogar
Contact Information:
Office of Congregational
Advancement,
1 Sisters of Providence,
Saint Mary-of-the-Woods, IN 47876
For change of address:
cdavis@spsmw.org or 812-535-2804
Website:
www.SistersofProvidence.org
Children’s website:
www.WoodsUp.com
Printed on recycled paper
See us on Facebook, Twitter, YouTube!
Follow our blogs!
The Shrine of Saint Mother Theodore Guerin
For information about Saint Mother Theodore Guerin, contact Sister Jan
Craven, coordinator of the Office of the Shrine of Saint Mother Theodore
Guerin, Providence Hall, 1 Sisters of Providence, Saint Mary-of-the-Woods, IN
47876-1007 or 812-535-2925 or jcraven@spsmw.org.
Page 10
Page 7
Page 14
On the cover:
Guerin College Prep students
in a theology class of Sister
Kay Manley partipcate in a
classroom discussion. Sister Kay is
pictured at the top of the cover
with her trusty laptop. To learn more
about Guerin Prep, turn to page 6.
Female Institute of Saint Mary-of-the-Woods
‘located in a retired, healthy and pleasant situation’
This is an early advertisement for the Female Institute, predecessor of Saint Mary-of-the-Woods College. It appeared
in a Terre Haute, Ind., newspaper. (Image courtesy of Archives)
4 HOPE // SUMMER 2011 www.SistersofProvidence.org 5
H
Cover story
Photo above: This
1930 Archives photo
is of the Holy
Childhood Home in
Kaifeng, China.
Pictured are (left to
right) Sister Marie
Patricia Shortall
(RIP), Mother Marie
Gratia Luking (RIP)
and Sister Mary
Margaretta
Grussinger (RIP).
Valuing education
Mary-of the Woods College stands as the fruit of
those small beginnings!
By 1842, as the Congregation attracted new mem-bers,
Mother Theodore was able to provide sisters
to open a parish school in Jasper, Ind. Over the
years Sisters of Providence were invited to staff
parish schools in other states, eventually traveling
to the East and West Coasts of the United States
not only to teach reading, writing and arithmetic,
but always to show the face of a loving God through
lives that reflected love, mercy and justice.
While education in traditional classrooms seemed
to be the norm for many decades, Sisters of Provi-dence
reached out in other ways to meet pressing
human needs. In 1920, responding to the request
of a bishop in China on behalf of the needs of
abandoned children in his diocese, especially girls,
six Sisters of Providence volunteered to carry the
mission of Providence to the Orient. Expelled from
China by the Communist regime in 1948, the sisters
moved to Taiwan where the mission of Providence
continues to flourish today through the efforts of the
Sisters of Providence and a native congregation, the
Missionary Sisters of Providence. Service is pro-vided
at Providence University and other ministries
that respond to pressing needs of the people.
In the latter half of the 20th century social changes
began to affect the specific ministries of the Con-gregation.
The decline of vocations to religious life
began to show itself. The need for education was
being met by the growth of the public school system
in the United States. Many parishes could no longer
financially support a school and many women and
men who had been taught in SP schools were now
active in sharing that education in their parishes in
other ways than in a school.
In addition, documents of Vatican Council II, such as
“The Church in the Modern World” called the Cath-olic
Church to reach out to the needs of all people,
not just the young. In another document, religious
congregations throughout the world were instructed
to revisit their original charism in order to determine
where the Spirit might be calling them to respond to
the overwhelming needs of people in modern times.
In this issue of HOPE magazine we feature several
of these sponsored ministries of the Sisters of Provi-dence.
It is important, however, to call attention not
only to the fact that there are other sponsored min-istries
in which members engage but also that every
sister regardless of age shares herself and her gifts in
response to the needs of those around her — living
out her commitment to make God’s loving presence
more visible in our world through her own acts of
love, mercy and justice — which might be expressed
in teaching, hospitality, tutoring, visiting prisoners
on death row, volunteering in a food pantry, visiting
the sick and the dying, serving in a clinic to meet the
needs of the sick poor, and certainly praying for the
needs of the world.
Resource suggestion: “Love, Mercy, Justice: A Book
of Practices of the Sisters of Providence” available
at The Gift Shop at Providence Center or
www.ProvCenter.org.
By Sister Bernice Kuper Because in our world a loving God chooses often to respond to human needs
through the actions of each of us, Providence spirituality expresses itself primarily
in service to God’s people. At times this happens through our way of being with one
another; at other times it happens through our actions to help those in need, and it is
always our prayer and relationship with God that keeps us mindful of this responsibility.
The Constitutions of the Sisters of Providence state that “The purpose of this Congregation
is to honor Divine Providence and to further God’s loving plans by devoting itself to works
of love, mercy and justice in service among God’s people.” For 170 years generations of
Sisters of Providence have honored God’s loving presence in the world by trying to make
that presence more visible to others through their own acts of love, mercy and justice.
In 1840, in the person of Mother Theodore Guerin and her five companions, the French
community responded to the request of the bishop of Vincennes for sisters to help educate
the children in frontier families, especially girls. While learning how to live their lives in
a wilderness and trusting in a Provident God to guide them, the sisters opened an Acad-emy
for young girls at Saint Mary-of-the-Woods within a year of their arrival. Today Saint
See EDUCATION on page 5
Education
Continued from page 4
By Sister Ann Casper
Q. Just what are sponsored institutions?
A. Religious congregations through the years have
founded many institutions, especially in education
and health care, and continue in special relation-ship
with them after their establishment. While
each congregation defines sponsorship a little
differently, the most common elements of spon-sorship
include: separate incorporation of the
sponsored institution; the leadership of the con-gregation
serving as members of the corporation
and having certain reserved powers according to
the Articles of Incorporation.
Q. What are examples of reserved powers?
A. Powers reserved to the members of the corpora-tion
may include the approval of the president of
the sponsored institution; approval of its budget;
and approval of any change in its mission.
Q. Who operates the sponsored institution?
A. The sponsored institution is governed by a board
Sponsored institutions 101
See SPONSORED on page 11
6 HOPE // SUMMER 2011 www.SistersofProvidence.org 7
Guerin College Prep
A pleasant sounding instrument
Story by Connie McCammon,
photos by Sister Dawn Tomaszewski
Pedagogical methods have certainly changed since
Sister Kay Manley began teaching at Guerin Col-lege
Preparatory High School (then known as
Mother Theodore Guerin High School), in River
Grove, Ill., in 1993. Teaching methods may come
and go, but a true teacher takes to heart Saint
Mother Theodore Guerin’s wise counsel to “Love
the children first, then teach them.” Sister Kay en-deavors
to use the modern ways of connecting with
students, but she knows Mother Theodore’s advice
is the most important component in creating hope
and breaking boundaries for her students.
“After 17 and three-quarter years of teaching at
Guerin, friends will often suggest that I know it
all by now and teaching should be a breeze,” said
Sister Kay, who teaches freshman and sophomore
theology. “But about five years ago, Guerin Prep
introduced one-to-one computing for students, pro-viding
each student with a computer laptop. Many
of my current colleagues grew up with a laptop on
their highchair. Others were quick to learn the ins
and outs of computer use. I admit I’m the tortoise
at being proficient with a computer.
“During my first PowerPoint presentation I ad-vanced
a slide too soon and panicked. The students
told me to press the back button, and there was the
slide I needed to teach! Since then I’m not embar-rassed
to ask the students ‘how to’ when it comes
to computer applications. They teach me much.
My favorite line, which one senior just quoted to
me recently, is that I always say, ‘I teach theol-ogy,
not technology,’” continued Sister Kay, who
celebrated her golden jubilee in 2008.
Sister Kay may not teach technology, but she has
certainly become very savvy using it. Her chalk-board
has given way to PowerPoint presentations;
scanned charts, graphs and documents; and the use
of Inspiration® software. This software assists Sister
Kay in creating presentations, outlining and visually
mapping content to help students retain information
and to be able to organize and synthesize it.
Students at Guerin are required to take four years of
theology. Sometimes there is a little grousing among
the students about this requirement. Sister Kay pa-tiently
responds to these students, “While you do not
need theology to get into college, you need theol-ogy
to get through life. You will always need to have
God, no matter what college you go to or where you
go in life. … You need to keep up that relationship,”
continued Sister Kay.
“The young girls and boys that I teach are among the
fortunate because their parents have as a priority the
value of Catholic education. So these young people
are involved in 45 minutes on a daily basis in a the-ology
classroom. There’s an opening prayer. There
are intentions for which they wish to pray, and a les-son
about God being involved in their lives through
the Word of God, Scripture, or how Christianity
grew from the time of Jesus to the time of 2011,”
said Sister Kay.
This study of
God also takes
place outside
the classroom
and in God’s
creation.
Students are
involved in
a myriad of
service and
justice pro-grams.
These
service proj-ects
include
ones close
to home like
the annual
“Adopt a
See INSTRUMENT on page 7
Instrument
Continued from page 6
Kid” Christmas program to more global ones in-cluding
Haiti and most recently tsunami and earth-quake
victims in Japan.
“I hope to be an instrument — a pleasant sound-ing
one — to lead [my students] to love God as a
friend. And I hope to be one who has taught them
Background photo: Students in one of Sister Kay
Manley’s theology classes eagerly raise their hands to
respond to a question. Photo at right: Sister Kay with
her laptop in hand, assists a student in a theology class.
GUERIN PREP …
… is a Catholic, co-educational college preparatory
high school.
… was founded in 1962 by the Congregation as an
all-girls school.
… became coeducational in 2004.
… has honors and gifted programs.
… has 30 clubs/organizations and seven honor societies.
… has an exceptional fine arts program. Students
must take fine arts classes as a requirement for
graduation.
… has a current enrollment of 540 students.
… has one of the most extensive computing pro-grams
offered by a secondary school in the Arch-diocese
of Chicago.
… is accredited by AdvancED, formerly North Cen-tral
Association Commission on Accreditation and
School Improvement.
respect for who they are and whose they are and to
spread this respect in all of their daily encounters at
home, in school and with their friends,” said Sister
Kay.
Yes, Sister Kay has been and continues to be a
pleasant sounding instrument, bringing her students
to a fuller understanding of God in their lives by
loving them first and then teaching them. H
Shortly after the outbreak of the Civil War in April
1861, Indiana Gov. Oliver Perry Morton requested
that the Sisters of Providence provide assistance
in the administration of City Hospital in India-napolis,
which had been turned over to the fed-eral
government for the care of soldiers. Mother
Mary Cecilia Bailly, second general superior of the
Congregation, gave her permission for some sisters
to answer this call to duty. During the four years
of the war, the Sisters of Providence provided care
to Union and Confederate soldiers in Indianapolis
and Vincennes, Ind.
With the 150th anniversary of the beginning of
the Civil War this year, the Sisters of Providence
are proud to be a part of the Vigo County Indiana
Civil War Sesquicentennial Project, a special col-lection
of Wabash Valley Visions & Voices (WV3),
a digital memory project. Other partners include
Indiana State University’s Cunningham Memorial
Library, the Vigo County Public Library and the
Vigo County Historical Society. All digitized items
are fully searchable online at http://bit.ly/i3RutH. A
Library Services and Technology Act Mini-Digitiza-tion
Grant from the Indiana State Library provided
funding for this project.
Visit the site and view the Congregation’s Civil
War collection. Items include information and a
few images of the sisters who served during the
war, transcripts from various Indianapolis news-papers
regarding the war, books that address the
war-related service of women religious and letters
from soldiers, among other material.
Congregation Civil War collection available online
8 HOPE // SUMMER 2011 www.SistersofProvidence.org 9
Providence Cristo Rey
Opening
Photo above: Sister
Maureen Fallon
(right) uses SMART
Board technology to
engage her students
in working out
calculus problems.
new doors
hile the Sisters of Providence have a goal of “breaking boundaries, creating
hope” in their work, it’s not often this gets to happen by opening a new school.
But that’s what happened in 2007 when the Congregation sponsored Providence Cristo
Rey High School in Indianapolis. Sister Jeanne Hagelskamp, along with other Sisters of
Providence and volunteers, worked hard with the Cristo Rey Network to create the school,
which is a college prepartory program that includes work study at local businesses. Stu-dents
come from families that cannot afford other private school options.
Students spend four days a week in classes and one day a week at a corporate job site,
such as Eli Lilly, AIT Laboratories, Advantage Heath, many downtown law firms, as well
as St. Vincent, St. Francis and Community hospitals. Businesses receive the benefit of a
full-time employee with five students filling one job, while students receive a substantial
tuition benefit that provides a private school education. The program offers students the
opportunity to build essential job skills while completing their college preparatory pro-gram.
Last year, 100 percent of the students in the Cristo Rey Network were accepted to
college.
Some of these students were at risk of not completing high school and in a few short years
Story and photo by Rosie Blankenship
W
have been transformed into true leaders, on track to
reach significant success in their lives.
Sister Maureen Fallon has been present for this
transformative experience in the school and the
students.
Sister Maureen has taught high school for 30 years
as a Sister of Providence, but Providence Cristo
Rey was her first opportunity to start something
from scratch. “I spent the first week shoveling out
the leftover trash, then I opened my desk drawer
and it was empty,” she said. “It’s part of the thrill.”
There was a big challenge in creating a school
where none existed before. “We were trying to
create a culture of college prep and college ready
where there was none,” she said.
It wasn’t easy, but the faculty
and staff are getting there.
It’s exciting to see, too, that
the culture is developing
with the heavy influence of
the Sisters of Providence
and Saint Mother Theodore
Guerin. All sophomores at
Providence Cristo Rey visit
Saint Mary-of-the-Woods
where they learn about the
foundress, the SP history and
traditions and learn about
White Violet Center for Eco-
Justice.
Portraits of Saint Mother Theodore hang in every
classroom at Providence Cristo Rey and the stu-dents
seem to grasp her importance and influence
on their history. Sister Maureen went with the
volleyball team to a game at St. Theodore Guerin
High School in Noblesville, Ind., and the students
were surprised to see a large portrait of their saint
at the school. “They said, ‘Sister, what’s our saint
doing in their school?’ I told them it was OK – the
school was named after her. They asked, ‘Did they
get permission?’”
The students have surprised Sister Maureen in their
beliefs and relationship to Jesus. “Their spiritual life
is way deeper than anything I have seen,” she said.
“It really gives me hope for the next generation.”
The culture of the school as being born from the
original mission of a saint is one way the sisters are
trying to create a culture. Another is by constant re-inforcement
of the benefits for students of their edu-cation.
“We are really trying to change the culture
of education for these kids,” she said. The school
is open on Saturdays, so students without comput-ers
or a quiet place to study, or who need help with
homework or a term paper, can have access to a
place to work and to assistance with study.
“I think they were told they could be successful,
but they had no idea what that meant,” she said.
“They never had models for success.”
Teachers engage the students in discussions about
current events, even Sister Maureen, who teaches
physics, algebra II and calculus. All of the teachers
encourage the students in their educational quest
toward college. She finds
herself explaining the de-tails
of the process of test-ing,
applying for and being
accepted to college, as well
as telling kids what life will
be like on their own: setting
their own study habits, doing
laundry and all of the experi-ences
that come with college
life. Many of these students
don’t have family and friends
to whom they can look for
this advice and guidance.
“We broaden their experi-ences,
broaden their horizons, and they broaden our
understandings, too,” she said. “We bring in more
global issues than the students have in the forefronts
of their minds.”
And much like the transformation of the school
from a dusty mess to the bright, cheerful education-al
home it is today, Sister Maureen has witnessed
similar transformations in her students. Most of the
kids have never passed an ISTEP test (Indiana’s
standardized test where passing is a requirement for
high school graduation) when they enter Providence
Cristo Rey.
“We don’t give up on them,” she said. “If you
create a culture that says it is OK to be successful,
then the students learn how to do it.”
JUST THE FACTS:
Year opened: 2007
Number of students enrolled: 70
Number of seniors 2011: 25
College scholarships for the Class of 2011:
$1 million
Number of faculty & staff: 27
Number of SP faculty & staff: 4
Continued on page 9
Continued from page 8
H
10 HOPE // SUMMER 2011 www.SistersofProvidence.org 11
Woods Day Care/Pre-School
Story and photos by Diane Weidenbenner
aint Mother Theodore Guerin began an educational legacy of
“breaking boundaries, creating hope” in 1840. Just as Saint Mother
Theodore provided loving leadership, service to the needy, a welcom-ing
spirit and a thankful heart, so the Sisters of Providence further this
legacy today at the Woods Day Care/Pre-School (WDC/PS), a sponsored
institution of the Congregation.
Sister Judith Cervizzi has been director of WDC/PS since July 2005. As an SP,
she models the Congregation’s mission (doing works of love, mercy and justice).
She begins her day with prayer and reflection which equips her to handle the day.
Saint Mother Theodore said to “love the children first, then teach them.” Sister Ju-dith
helps to achieve this by offering children a quality curriculum but also a chance for
the children to experience the “beautiful woodland home where Mother Theodore lived,
prayed, participated in the Eucharist … and walked.” Sister Judith also serves as a confi-dant
for some parents whose children attend the day care.
“A mother came to me at closing one day to ask me to suggest a church in the area where
she and her children would feel welcomed. Her young daughter was asking about going to
church and she wanted to provide a good church community for them. She came to me for
guidance because she felt I was a woman of faith, even though she herself was not Catho-lic.”
Sister Judith put her in contact with another sister who worked with local parishes
and an inter-faith group.
Sister Mary Rita Griffin, administrative assistant at
WDC/PS, has always had a heart for the needy. She
has 13 years of experience as an elementary school
principal and 18 years of experience in adminis-tration
with agencies that served the homeless in
Washington, D.C. Her faith affects how she fulfills
her position.
“When Mother Theodore founded schools she tried
to assure that the poor would also be served. Our
center has two sources of fund-ing
for low-income parents. The
WDC/PS participates in the
Child Care Development Fund
(CCDF), an Indiana govern-ment
program that pays day-care
tuition for the children of low-income
parents who are working
and/or attending school. The
Sister Gertrude Smith Scholar-ship
Fund also provides tuition
subsidy for parents in need of financial tuition as-sistance.”
Sister Mary Rita strives to see Jesus in each person.
“Over the desk in my office is a framed piece of
art depicting a tree. The leaves on the tree spell out
the gifts of the Holy Spirit. The roots spell out the
name of Jesus. The name of Jesus is the focal point
of the art. The quote at the bottom is, ‘If the root is
holy, the branches are too,’ from Romans 11:16.”
Sister Mary Rita has experienced joy through
WDC/PS’s efforts to assist six infant children
whose parents were still in high school. “After
completing high school each of these parents has
enrolled in post high school education and is work-ing
part-time. Each of these children’s parents
was eligible to receive CCDF tuition assistance at
WDC/PS,” said Sister Mary Rita.
Sister Mary Ann Phelan offers a welcoming spirit
as a volunteer, part-time receptionist at WDC/
PS. When a parent calls in about an absence, she
“not only inquires about the child’s illness but also
wishes the parent and child well as the illness con-tinues.”
She feels that being a volunteer gives her a
different perspective than going to a job. “The chil-dren
see that the sisters here are truly interested in
them and love them,” said Sister Mary Ann. “Many
of our families aren’t Catholic, but I have explained
to parents who have a gravely ill member about our
devotion to saints and what a relic is. I have offered
relics and prayer cards to them. They accept this
because they see that I respect their beliefs and do
not try to change them,” said Sister Mary Ann.
Sister Hannah Corbin, a canonical novice with
the SPs, is a volunteer teacher’s aide in the infant
room. Sister Hannah sees her ministry as “a way
to share God’s love.” She approaches the infants as
“complete persons, who are manifestations of God
in this world.” As an aide, she
helps to create a supportive, lov-ing
and safe environment. Sister
Hannah is also thankful for the
many blessings she receives from
her ministry.
“The children teach me as well,
what it means to trust, play and
‘be.’ It is ministry because we
bring each other to a greater
wholeness and a deeper connection with all of life,”
said Sister Hannah. When she rocks a fussy baby
to sleep, she encounters her own tendencies to kick
and cry, “resisting the gentle whisper of God to sur-render.”
The other Sisters of Providence that serve at WDC/
PS are Sisters Jackie Hoffman, Lucille Lechner, Mary
Ann Lechner, Jean Anne Maher, Florence Norton,
Margaret Quinlan and Mary Margaret Quinn.
Lovingoving thethe childrenchildren firstfirst
S
See CHILDREN on page 11
Children
Continued from page 10
Sponsored
Continued from page 5
of trustees/directors, which is entrusted with over-all
planning, management and fiscal responsibility
for the institution.
Q. How else is the religious congregation involved?
A. An important responsibility of the sponsoring
congregation is to promote a deeper understand-ing
of the congregation’s mission and heritage
among all the people associated with the spon-sored
institution. Additionally, sisters are encour-aged
to minister in sponsored institutions and to
be aware of the ways it furthers the congrega-tion’s
mission.
Background photo:
One of the walls in
the day care features
the logo of the
preschool and a
list of benefactors.
Photo at right:
Music prodigy Max
Perry plays a few
bars for Sister
Hannah Corbin.
The children see that
the sisters here are truly
interested in them and
love them.
— Sister Mary Ann Phelan
“
”
H
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12 HOPE // SUMMER 2011 www.SistersofProvidence.org 13
Saint Mary-of-the-Woods College
A gadget-happy
Sister
By Dave Cox
Sister Joanne Golding is a self-proclaimed computer
nut. So, she seems to be well connected in ministry
as director of academic computing at Saint Mary-of-the-
Woods College, even though she plans to retire
at the end of the current semester.
A lover of mathematics, she jumped at the opportu-nity
when Indiana State University allowed doctoral
students to switch from two foreign languages to
one language and one unit of computers and statis-tics
to satisfy their degree requirements. That was
in the 1960s, and she’s been plugged in ever since.
“Shortly after I finished my doctorate, I was prin-cipal
at St. Ann School (Terre Haute) for a while
and then I went to work for a computer company in
Chicago. I came back here when the college com-puter
offerings were first beginning in 1982 and I’ve
been here ever since. It’s like the kid who found her
toys,” Sister Joanne said.
She is involved in “everything computer” on the
academic side, including the Woods External Degree
(WED) program. She has seen dramatic opportuni-ties
blossom for those who choose distance learning.
“Let’s take a regular professor who has a campus
class. The faculty would go in two or three times
a week, depending on the powers that be, and they
would teach. For WED students, we used to give
them the books, the syllabus and the assignments,
and say, ‘Now, go home and do this.’ What we are
coming down to now is understanding that teaching
and learning must be more interactive.”
Come August and the new academic year, all
SMWC classes will be available online. WED stu-dents,
as well as Woods On Line students, and tra-ditional
resident students, will have access to every-thing
at their fingertips, including
peer discussion boards, contact
with teachers and advisors, con-tent
that includes everything from
recorded lectures to interactive
movies, virtual office hours for
faculty, even immediate feedback
after taking a quiz. Another
feature allows a student to post a
report, or class assignment, and
massage it up to 10 times before
it goes to the professor for evalu-ation.
“Students can continue massaging their work. In
doing so, they learn better,” Sister Joanne said,
adding that students “had better not pass it along to
their little sister” because of the plagiarism checking
system.
“I think we’re just scratching the surface on what
we are being able to do. I think there is going to be
much more interaction. Much more of the work is
going to fall to the student,” she added.
Sister Joanne also sees a shift to competency-based
education. “I’m going to be educated. I’m going
to talk to people in industry. I’m going to talk to
professors. I may take a class, but there will come
a time when I have to be tested on my competency.
That’s probably what tuition will be in the future.
You pay for the testing of competency, but that’s
years into the future,” she said.
For now, “I think the programs we have are wonder-ful.
I think we are the undiscovered gem in Indiana.
Faculty and staff here do care about their students.
They won’t let them fail if at all possible. It’s im-portant
for a student to walk away from this college
feeling good about herself and saying, ‘I can do it,’”
Sister Joanne said.
She emphasizes that the current trend is not without
challenges. “There are some things that we have not
conquered,” she noted. “How do I know you took
the quiz? How do I know you took the quiz without
looking at the book? We are going to need to de-velop
ways to monitor everything. There are a lot of
dangers, but if you really want to learn, the world
is open to you,” she said.
And, what if this world had been open to her when
she was a traditional, residential student, and not
working at home, having a snack
at 2 o’clock in the morning as
some students do as they work
on their courses?
“I would have been a much bet-ter
student. First of all, I like
the whole idea of gadgets. I’m
gadget happy. I would have spent
much more time with studies. It
would have kept my attention,
especially in courses where I
wasn’t too enthusiastic. When I
did my dissertation, we had to type it on a type-writer.
You remember typewriters?”
Sister Joanne Golding loves being plugged into all sorts of technology. (Photo by Connie McCammon)
Continued on page 13
Continued from page 12
When I did my
dissertation, we had to
type it on a typewriter.
You remember type-writers?
— Sister Joanne Golding
“
”
H
14 HOPE // SUMMER 2011 www.SistersofProvidence.org 15
Providence Center
Two new faces welcome visitors, pilgrims
Stories and photos by Becky Igo
Meet Sister Jan Craven
Sister Jan Craven embraces her new role as the
coordinator of the Saint Mother Theodore Guerin
Shrine and is excited about the shrine’s
future as well.
“My vision for the shrine is to continue
the legacy of Saint Mother Theodore
Guerin,” said Sister Jan, who has
been a Sister of Providence almost
32 years and a former member of the
Youngstown Ursulines for 10 years. She
will strive to “continue to share [Moth-er
Theodore’s] wisdom with people,
both far and near” and wants those who
walk the grounds at Saint Mary-of-the-Woods “to
experience a kind of hope they find no place else.”
Sister Jan is grateful to have been called to the min-istry
of overseeing Saint Mother Theodore’s Shrine.
“There is always something new to learn about
her,” Sister Jan said of Saint Mother Theodore. “To
come and know her anew is my hope.”
Sister Jan said each day is different in the shrine
office, which is located in Providence Center, the
welcome center at Saint Mary-of-the-Woods. Prayer
requests arrive daily and meetings to
plan public activities fill her days.
“We are on our way to planning for the
Saint Mother Theodore Guerin Fest,”
Sister Jan said, referring to the event set
for Oct. 21-23 this year. The inaugural
Fest, conducted in 2009, drew hundreds
to Saint Mary-of-the-Woods to celebrate
Saint Mother Theodore’s legacy.
Sister Jan, a native of Youngstown,
Ohio, is a graduate of Youngstown State
University, where she earned a bachelor’s degree
in elementary education. She received a master’s
degree in spirituality from Fordham University in
New York and a master’s degree in the philosophy of
religion and theology from Claremont University in
California. She has ministered as a teacher, director
of religious education, pastoral
associate, provincial councilor,
and tribunal advocate at various
locations in Indiana, Illinois and
California, and also as director of
postulants at Saint Mary-of-the-
Woods.
Currently, the home for the Saint
Mother Theodore Guerin Shrine
is in the Church of the Immacu-late
Conception on the grounds
of the motherhouse. However, the shrine is the focus
Meet Andrew Conner
As the new director of Sisters of Providence Pro-gramming
and Hospitality, Andrew Conner has a
clear vision for the future at Saint Mary-of-the-
Woods.
“I want people to experience the beauty
and peace of this place, and to find a
comfortable and welcoming place to
explore and deepen their spirituality,”
he said. “That isn’t news to people who
have been here before, but there are
more people for us to reach. We don’t
want to be a ‘best-kept secret.’”
Andrew has a natural knack for being
successful at raising awareness. Prior
to his employment with the Sisters
of Providence, he served as executive director
of Downtown Terre Haute Inc. and earlier as an
economic developer with the Indiana Department
of Commerce. As the leader of Downtown Terre
Haute, Andrew was instrumental in breathing new
life into a city that had lost faith in itself. Since
then, the downtown has enjoyed a renaissance and
Terre Haute was named the 2010 Indiana Chamber
Community of the Year.
No doubt Andrew’s past leadership roles
will serve him well in his new position.
At his office in Providence Center, the
official welcome center of the Sisters of
Providence, Andrew works to develop
and coordinate “sustainable programs
that are reverent of the mission of the
Congregation.” On any given day, he
might be meeting with staff at the White
Violet Center for Eco-Justice or attend-ing
one of many organizational meetings
in the Wabash Valley.
Andrew is always on the move, and he is as visible
as he is likeable. Andrew wants to take program-ming
— tours, retreats and public gatherings — to a
higher level.
“Grounded in Mother Theodore’s love of nature, and
in the values of love, mercy and justice, our pro-gramming
will range from seminars and workshops
that challenge, engage and inspire to less-structured
retreats that provide time to unwind, decompress and
recharge,” he said. “We have a special setting and a
special tradition to share. It is an atmosphere that
opens the mind to the importance of sustainability,
the heart to the dignity and worth of each person,
and the soul to the wonder of Creation and love of
the Creator. God is everywhere, but this is a great
place to renew the connection!”
For the future, Andrew looks with excited anticipa-tion
of seeing a new home established for the Saint
Mother Theodore Shrine. That move alone will fos-ter
growth. “As we develop the permanent Shrine of
Saint Mother Theodore, I anticipate that pilgrimages
will become a large part of the daily life at Provi-dence
Center,” he said. “I hope that visitors to the
shrine will be moved in a way that lasts beyond their
tour. The lessons and gifts of Providence are for all
time, even if your introduction begins with just a
brief tour stop.”
Even before serving as the director of Programming
and Hospitality, Andrew has had his own lessons
of exciting plans for the future. Sister Jan said she
looks forward to her involvement with the Saint
Mother Theodore Guerin Shrine Committee, adding
its members have done a “marvelous job, thus far”
in planning for the shrine’s new permanent home at
Saint Mary-of-the-Woods. (For more details about
the shrine, see www.SistersofProvidence.org and
click on “Saint Mother Theodore” at the top of the
page.)
For those who know Saint Mother Theodore well
and others yet unaware, Sister Jan offered this
message: “Make [Saint Mary-of-the-Woods] your
second home. Discover anew your own deep peace
by coming to walk these grounds. Enter into the
shrine of this great Saint of God to unearth your
own saintliness. You are always welcome, again and
again.”
See SISTER JAN on page 15
Sister Jan
Continued from page 14
To learn more about
the Saint Mother
Theodore Guerin
Shrine, the Sisters of
Providence and Saint
Mary-of-the-Woods,
contact Sister Jan at
812-535-2925 or email
jcraven@spsmw.org.
H
Andrew
Continued from page 14
and gifts from Saint Mary-of-the-Woods. He’ll tell
you about the connections he had as a youngster
with the Sisters of Providence as he waited while
his siblings took piano lessons at the Woods. Now,
as an adult, he shares those connections with his
own family. Often, you’ll see his wife, Jill, their
daughter Isabelle, twin sons Charlie and Theo, and
youngest son Henry, enjoying Sunday Brunch, tak-ing
in an event or coming to see the alpacas.
But it’s the word “welcome” that Andrew embraces
most in describing what he wants visitors to experi-ence,
upon arrival and departure, at the Woods.
“We love to share the heritage and history and min-istries
which we have been given, and the sisters
and the staff want visitors to come here,” he said.
“Everyone is welcome.”
See ANDREW on page 15
H
“Living the Legacy NOW!” is the theme of this
year’s Saint Mother Theodore Guerin Fest sched-uled
Oct. 21-23 at Saint Mary-of-the-Woods.
The Fest, sponsored by the Sisters of Providence,
will provide attendees with enlightening and fun
opportunities to learn more about Saint Mother
Theodore.
For more information, contact Sister Jan Craven,
coordinator of the Saint Mother Theodore Shrine
Office, at 812-535-2925 or jcraven@spsmw.org.
MTG Fest date set for Oct.21-23
16 HOPE // SUMMER 2011 www.SistersofProvidence.org 17
Partners in our mission
Trusting
Providence in
By Connie McCammon
“Have confidence in the Providence that so far has never failed us. The
way is not yet clear. Grope along slowly. Do not press matters; be patient,
be trustful.” — Saint Mother Theodore Guerin
“I like this quote because it’s realistic and down to earth. Mother Theodore had a very
good sense of just how hard — and great — life was and her words and wisdom speak to
me about enduring life’s struggle in order to realize life’s re-wards.
And sometimes the way is just not clear and the best
we can do is grope,” reflected Martha Brennan, a planned
giver to the Congregation who resides in Louisville, Ky.
Martha sees life’s struggles every day in her job as a
high school English teacher at Waggener Traditional High
School in Louisville.
“Waggener is a Title I school, and the majority of my
students are at-risk students — many ‘free and reduced
lunch,’ non-native English speakers and other minorities,”
said Martha, a 1986 English graduate of Saint Mary-of-
the-Woods College (SMWC). “It’s hard, demanding,
messy work, but I am constantly amazed that I ‘get’
from my students more than I will ever be able to ‘give’
to them,” continued Martha, who was first introduced to
the Sisters of Providence as a student at Cathedral High
School, Indianapolis.
Martha had to grope along slowly in order to find a ca-reer
for which she is passionate. After graduating from
SMWC in 1986, she worked for the Congregation’s
Communications Office, the forerunner of the Office
of Congregational Advancement (OCA).
“It was through this work that I came to understand
my ‘calling’ to share the gifts and talents I have been
given and have developed,” said Martha, whose life-partner,
Sheila Galvin, is a 1987 SMWC graduate
and a special education teacher.
Martha soon understood that her calling was in the
classroom. But before she could follow this calling,
she returned to SMWC to earn an education cer-tificate.
Martha commenced teaching in 2005 and
during four summers, she earned a master’s degree
in English from Middlebury College in Vermont.
Due to her passion about teaching at-risk students,
Martha is very interested in the Congregation’s
Indianapolis ministry at Providence Cristo Rey High
School.
“The current education problems within our society
are the symptoms of our country’s growing problem
with poverty — the growing gap between the rich
and the poor. I see it every day in my classroom and
my school. To me, Cristo Rey is a ministry that is
trying, in a small way, to provide quality education
to the most neediest in our society which can only
be a positive effort in closing the gap between the
rich and poor, educated and uneducated,” said Mar-tha.
She could also be speaking about what she and
her Waggener colleagues strive to do every day, too.
Martha’s Catholic faith, her parents and the Sisters
of Providence have all helped to form her into the
person and teacher that she is. “Fortunately, both
my parents and the Sisters of Providence bestowed
a value system in me that nurtured a sense of how
to treat others fairly and justly in this world and
share the gifts and talents that were given to me
from a divine source,” said Martha. “The sisters
provided me, and still provide today, a model of
how to ‘be’ in this world through their acts of love,
mercy and justice,” said Martha, who generously
supports the Congregation and has remembered the
sisters in her will.
“It’s one of the ways that I can possibly give back
all that I have received from them and help [them]
to sustain their mission. The SPs do vitally impor-tant
work in this world.”
Martha’s life isn’t all seriousness. Yes, she likes to
read, and she also enjoys traveling, playing a little
golf, walking and doing genealogical work. She
recently purchased a motor scooter that she affec-tionately
calls her “Mid-life Crisis Toy” that she
tools around on.
Just like most everyone else, Martha’s path hasn’t
always been clear, but she gropes along slowly and
trusts in Providence.
Continued on page 17
Continued from page 16
H
Photo below:
Martha Brennan
stands in front of
a portrait of Saint
Mother Theodore
Guerin that adorns
a wall in her home.
(Submitted photo)
18 HOPE // SUMMER 2011 www.SistersofProvidence.org 19
Alumnae news Newsnotes
Alum gatherings are a family affair
Dear Alums,
Have you noticed that there are new faces at the
reunions? I have. Alumnae/i are bringing their
children and grandchildren to reunions, intro-ducing
them to
friends and shar-ing
the stories
from their high
school days. It
is a trend that I
hope continues.
If the thought
has crossed your
mind to invite
your family to a
reunion, please
do so. We love to
extend our Provi-dence
family!
The Heart-to-
Heart fundraiser
in Chicago in
February was the
most successful fundraiser in the area to date. The
proceeds were donated to the renovation of Prov-idence
Hall, the residence of the retired sisters. It
was very gratifying to receive thank you notes for
a fundraiser! A Family Day pig roast will be held
Aug. 14. We look forward to a day of games and
good food.
Reunion plans are in the works for the following
all-school reunions. Please contact your alumnae
representatives for more information. If you need
contact information, please call or email me at
773-463-2478 or spaweski@spsmw.org.
June 5: St. Agnes, Indianapolis
September: St. John, Indianapolis (TBA)
Oct. 1: Marywood, Evanston, Ill.
Oct. 1: St. Rose, Vincennes, Ind.
Oct. 8: Immaculata Prep High School, Immaculata
Junior College and Dunblane School, Washington,
D.C.
Oct. 30: Providence High School, Chicago
It is with sadness
that we mourn
the loss of Mar-garet
Villiger,
class of 1938.
Margaret served
on the St. Co-lumbkille
Alumni
Association Board
for more than 30
years. Please re-member
her and
her family in your
prayers.
Sister Sue Paweski
Photo above: Marywood, Evanston, Ill., class of 1956
members Cecile (Rogers) Dunn, Sue Ann (Sullivan)
Brander and Valerie (Berghoff) Yokie (left to right) enjoy
the Heart-to-Heart fundraiser. (Submitted photo)
Congregation receives award
The Sisters of Providence commitment to diversity
and justice has been recognized by an Indiana media
company.
The Congregation received a Champion of Diversity
award during a recent annual awards program spon-sored
by Indiana Minority Business Magazine.
During the presentation, the Sisters of Providence
were introduced as having “positively impacted
others on virtually every level. … The Sisters of
Providence focus on social justice, anti-racism, eco-justice,
non-violent strategies for peace, immigration
rights and persons living in poverty.”
Sister Jane Marie Osterholt, general officer,
who gave the invocation, accepted the award on
behalf of the Congregation, along with Sister Mau-reen
Fallon, who teaches at Providence Cristo Rey
High School in Indianapolis, and Sister Demetria
Smith, MSOLA, a member of the Congregation’s
Anti-Racism Team.
Green Town Conference date set
The Sisters of Providence and White Violet Center
for Eco-Justice, a ministry of the Sisters of Provi-dence,
are among many partners that make up a
new nonprofit in Indiana and Illinois called Our
Green Valley Alliance for Sustainability (OGVA).
OGVA is bringing
a prestigious event
to Terre Haute
this fall: a Green
Town Confer-ence
that will
highlight ways to
attend to our environment. Green Town is a pre-mier
one-day experience, with innovative speakers
and other offerings, designed to emphasize how to
create healthy, sustainable communities. It is a zero-waste,
carbon-neutral event that will include pre-conference
opportunities as well. It will take place
at Indiana State University Nov. 16-17.
This is the first Green Town event in Indiana.
OGVA hopes people who attend leave the event
energized, educated and better connected. Attendees
will network with others in the community to create
a more sustainable future and come up with tan-gible
programs during the event. For more infor-mation
or to register, please go to
www.OurGreenValley.org.
A big thank you to our donors!
Good old-fashioned phone calls still work! God
bless all of you who took time to chat with your
volunteer-caller during the 2011 Phonathon. The
stories we heard are priceless, the prayer requests
are numerous, the amount
raised in pledges is out-standing,
and the grati-tude
of the Sisters of
Providence is endless!
We do live in a mobile
society, and many of you
weren’t home when we
called. We left you a message, and some of you
have generously responded to those requests.
Thank you!
Our 2011 Phonathon goal is $130,000, and because
of your generosity, more than $67,000 (52 percent)
has been received to date. Outstanding!
It takes many individuals to have a successful pho-nathon,
so we would like to give a special thanks
to the sisters, Providence Associates, Candidate-
Associates, alumnae and staff members who made
countless phone calls, and to those who served as
clerks, cutting, sorting, stuffing, sealing, counting, etc.
A heartfelt thank you to one and all!
Welcome, Sister Anna!
Sister Anna Ho (pictured), a native of Vietnam,
transferred her vows
as a woman reli-gious
to the Sisters
of Providence on Jan.
23. Her siblings from
California, New York
and Oregon came for
the ceremony and her
mother, Anna Nguyen
Thi Phac, joined her
from Vietnam for the festivities. (Submitted photo)
www.SistersofProvidence.org 21
Obituaries
20 HOPE // SUMMER 2011
Sister Theresa Rose Butts April 7, 1915-Dec. 15, 2010
“Sister Theresa Rose kept a wonderful garden, always including Bells of Ireland, and she
baked the best chocolate chip cookies, made with both butter and margarine.”
Sister Theresa Rose entered the Congregation July 15, 1934. She ministered more than
50 years in education in Illinois, Indiana, Maryland and Washington, D.C. Sister Theresa
Rose returned to the Woods in 1996.
Sister Mary Isabelle Welsh June 30, 1918-Dec. 25, 2010
“Sister Mary Isabelle was loving and generous. She loved doing things for people, loved to
be on the go, loved to visit family members and friends.”
Sister Mary Isabelle entered the Congregation Jan. 11, 1936. She spent four decades in
schools in Illinois, Indiana, California and Washington, D.C. Starting in 1979, Sister
Mary Isabelle ministered in Indianapolis at St. Elizabeth Home, St. Philip Neri and
Fatima Retreat House. She returned to the Woods in 1987.
Sister Dorothy Deal (formerly Sister Damien) July 3, 1919-Jan. 2, 2011
“Sister Dorothy was perfect for adult learners, because she was determined that they
would learn.”
Sister Dorothy entered the Congregation Jan. 9, 1937. She ministered in education for
four decades in Indiana, Illinois, Massachusetts and Washington, D.C. Sister Dorothy
ministered several years as the coordinator of facilities at Saint Mary-of-the-Woods Col-lege.
She spent four years serving Annunciation Parish, Brazil, Ind., as a secretary and
religious educator before returning to the Woods in 1990.
Sister Ann Xavier Hau Nov. 12, 1920-March 1, 2011
“Sister Ann Xavier was a friend to all. She reached out to others when she saw difficulty
or sadness.”
Sister Ann Xavier Hau entered the Congregation Jan. 5, 1939. For more than 50 years
she ministered in education as either a teacher or principal in Indiana, Illinois, Maryland,
Missouri and California. She returned to the Woods in 1998.
In memory
“I sleep, but my heart watches … ” — Song of Songs
Sister Mary Alice Zander (formerly Sister Joseph Gertrude) June 12, 1944-March 5, 2011
“Our Providence Associates! Sister Mary Alice gave her all to building this relationship.
She loved this ministry. It was her ‘baby,’ and she continued as she was able after her
surgeries and chemotherapies.”
Sister Mary Alice entered the Congregation Sept. 17, 1962. For 19 years, she ministered
as either an elementary school teacher or coordinator/director of religious education in the
Chicago area. For seven years Sister Mary Alice served as a religious education consultant
for the Archdiocese of Chicago. She ministered six years as the Congregation’s director of
novices and then spent several years in retreat ministry and spiritual direction. Since 2005
Sister Mary Alice served as the director of the Providence Associate Relationship.
Sister Mary Charles Spalding Jan. 7, 1914-March 11, 2011
“Sister Mary Charles took numerous summer courses to keep up to date, especially in her
teaching of religion.”
Sister Mary Charles entered the Congregation on Dec. 24, 1930. She ministered in educa-tion
for more than 50 years in Indiana, Illinois, North Carolina, Oklahoma and Washing-ton,
D.C. She returned to the Woods in 1995.
Sister Frances Maureen McGrory July 23, 1927-March 26, 2011
“Sister Frances Maureen was what we call in community a ‘real school woman.’ She kept
up on all the new school trends and implemented them.”
Sister Frances Maureen entered the Congregation Feb. 2, 1946. She spent four decades as
either a teacher or principal in schools in Indiana and Illinois. She spent several years in
provincial leadership for the Congregation. Sister Frances Maureen returned to the Woods
in 2008.
To read the entire obituary for a sister, visit www.SistersofProvidence.org and look for the
“As seen in HOPE” link.
Continued on page 21
Continued from page 20
Working together
The Sisters of Providence and Saint Mary-of-the-Woods College work together in doing
what they can to prevent recyclables from going to the landfill. This effort to do their
part in saving landfill space and reducing contamination brought in more than $32,000
in 2010.
This recycling program that contributes to the reuse of materials includes scrap metals,
mixed paper, newspapers, glass, plastic, cans and cardboard. The materials are trucked
by an SP Facilities Management staff member to the Indiana State University Recycle
Center, Data Management or Sugar Creek Scrap, all in Vigo County. The earnings from
the aluminum cans are given to Woods Day Care/Pre-School. See the entire 2010 report
and learn more about this recycling collaboration at www.SistersofProvidence.org.
22 HOPE // SUMMER 2011 www.SistersofProvidence.org 23
Upcoming events
Calendar
June
2-5 Wilderness Fast at White Violet Center for Eco-Justice. This retreat weekend is
for anyone who is discerning, wanting to mark a significant “life passage” or seeking
purpose in life. It is based on the Native American Vision Quest Ceremony. Cost is $325.
Registration deadline is May 26. Contact Robyn Morton at 812-535-2932 or
rmorton@spsmw.org.
17-19 Medical Herbalism Course with Matthew Wood at White Violet Center for Eco-
Justice. This course covers plant identification, self-care, wild crafting and basic appli-cations.
Cost is $250 which includes meals. Housing at the Woods costs $45 per night.
Registration deadline: June 1. Contact Robyn Morton at 812-535-2932 or
rmorton@spsmw.org.
25 Golden/Silver Jubilee Celebration, 1:30 p.m. (EDT), Church of the Immaculate Conception.
26 Profession of Vows, Church of the Immaculate Conception.
27-July 8 General Chapter of the Sisters of Providence
July
17-23 Living in a Sacred Universe with Toni Nash, CSJ, and Mary Lou Dolan, CSJ, at
White Violet Center for Eco-Justice. These days will provide participants with the space
to be a learning, reflective community, to move from knowing about this new relation-ship
with Earth, to living within it, building beautiful, sustainable, mutually enhancing
relationships with each being in the Earth community. Cost is $450 and includes meals
and housing. Registration deadline is July 2. Contact Robyn Morton at 812-535-2932 or
rmorton@spsmw.org.
August
9-13 2011 Leadership Conference of Women Religious Assembly, Garden Grove, Calif.
Congregation will have a presence at this event.
14 Come and See Day for women 18-42, California. Contact Sister Jenny Howard at 800-
860-1840 ext. 2897 or jhoward@spsmw.org.
Photo album
Young artists honored at reception
To view more photo albums, visit www.SistersofProvidence.org and look for the “As seen in HOPE” link.
Wabash Valley youth were honored at the Sisters of Providence Youth Art Contest reception March 10 in Providence Cen-ter
at Saint Mary-of-the-Woods. The contest theme was “The Legacy of Saint Mother Theodore Guerin.” Winning awards
were (front row, from left) Ages 5-7: Sophia Miranda, honorable mention; Trinity Miranda, third place; Adah Belle
Shepherd, second place; and Trey Wallace, first place; Ages 8-10: Chloe Storm Isle, honorable mention; Adin Shepherd,
third place; Zachary Klug, second place; and Sarah Chatman, first place; (standing, from left) Ages 11-13: Maddie Lee,
honorable mention; Jamie Hoggatt, third place; Yzabel Tio, second place; and Alexis Klug, first place; and Ages 14-
18: Jonathan Flanary and Carson Seprodi, a tie for honorable mention; Karah Ellis, third place; Allisa Frazier, second
place; and Kristin Bell, first place. (Photo by Becky Igo)
Bill Wolfe, noted Terre Haute artist and
sculptor, has been commissioned to create
four murals for the Vigo County Court House
rotunda that feature prominent scenes in the
county’s history. His first creation is Saint
Mother Theodore Guerin. Done in oils, the
mural shows her life’s journey from birth, to
walking on the Breton shore, arriving aboard
ship in the United States and surviving the
first Indiana winter. Bill, who also serves as a
part-time security guard at Saint Mary-of-the-
Woods, plans to complete the Mother Theo-dore
mural this spring. The other murals will
be Francis Vigo, the county’s founder, and two
panels devoted to the county’s general history.
Keith Ruble, director of the Vigo County Parks
Department and local wood crafter, will build
the frame for the five-foot by 10-foot mural.
(Photo by Dave Cox)
A religious icon of Saint Mother Theodore Guerin was
presented recently to the Sisters of Providence by St.
Theodore Guerin High School of Noblesville, Ind. Several
representatives of the school, including students, traveled
to Saint Mary-of-the-Woods to make the presentation. The
icon, created by Minnesota artist Jan Storms, was blessed
during a Eucharistic Liturgy. Paul Lundsford, the school’s
principal, is shown holding the icon being viewed by (left
to right) Sister Denise Wilkinson, general superior, and
Sisters Paula Damiano, Marie McCarthy, Jane Marie Os-terholt
and Nancy Reynolds, all general officers. (Photo by
Cheryl Casselman)
Mural features Saint Mother Theodore Guerin
Saint Mother Theodore icon presented to Congregation
Sept. 16
9th annual
Hole-y-One
Golf Scramble,
Hulman Links
Golf Course,
Terre Haute.
Contact Diane
Weidenben-ner
for team
registration or
sponsorships at
812-535-2802
or dweidenb@
spsmw.org.
Non-Profit
Organization
U.S. POSTAGE PAID
Indianapolis
Indiana
Permit No. 593
Office of Congregational Advancement
1 Sisters of Providence
Saint Mary-of-the-Woods, IN 47876
RETURN SERVICE REQUESTED
Irish citizens of the year
Sisters Rita Ann Wade (left) and Barbara McClelland enjoy their special recognition as the 2011 Irish Citizens of the
year on March 17. This honor let them sit in a convertible and wave as they led the annual St. Patrick Day Parade in
the state’s capital. Both sisters have grandmothers of Irish heritage. Sisters Rita Ann and Barbara have ministered for
the past 11 years at Miracle Place in an Eastside Indianapolis neighborhood. (Submitted photo)

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2 HOPE // SUMMER 2011 www.SistersofProvidence.org 3
HOwithinPE
Features
Cover story 4
Valuing education
Guerin College Prep 6
A pleasant sounding instrument
Providence Cristo Rey 8
Opening new doors
Woods Day Care/Pre-School 10
Loving the children first
SMWC 12
A gadget-happy sister
Departments
Partners in our mission 16
Alumnae/i news 18
Newsnotes 19
Obituaries 20
Sustainable living 21
Upcoming events 22
Photo album 23
Mission Statement:
The purpose of HOPE is to extend the energy and power
of Providence to our friends by sharing information about
the mission, spirituality and ministries of the Sisters of
Providence of Saint Mary-of-the-Woods, Indiana.
Volume 6 • No. 3
summer 2011
Executive Editor:
Sister Rosemary Schmalz
Editors:
Sister Ann Casper and
Diane Weidenbenner
Publication
Manager/Designer:
Connie McCammon
Cover Photos:
Sister Dawn Tomaszewski
Cover Designer:
Pam Lynch
Editorial Board:
Rosie Blankenship, Christina Blust,
Cheryl Casselman, Andrew Conner,
Dave Cox, Sue Heck, Becky Igo,
Sister Jeanne Knoerle,
Sister Bernice Kuper,
Sandy Scroggins, Sister Joan Zlogar
Contact Information:
Office of Congregational
Advancement,
1 Sisters of Providence,
Saint Mary-of-the-Woods, IN 47876
For change of address:
cdavis@spsmw.org or 812-535-2804
Website:
www.SistersofProvidence.org
Children’s website:
www.WoodsUp.com
Printed on recycled paper
See us on Facebook, Twitter, YouTube!
Follow our blogs!
The Shrine of Saint Mother Theodore Guerin
For information about Saint Mother Theodore Guerin, contact Sister Jan
Craven, coordinator of the Office of the Shrine of Saint Mother Theodore
Guerin, Providence Hall, 1 Sisters of Providence, Saint Mary-of-the-Woods, IN
47876-1007 or 812-535-2925 or jcraven@spsmw.org.
Page 10
Page 7
Page 14
On the cover:
Guerin College Prep students
in a theology class of Sister
Kay Manley partipcate in a
classroom discussion. Sister Kay is
pictured at the top of the cover
with her trusty laptop. To learn more
about Guerin Prep, turn to page 6.
Female Institute of Saint Mary-of-the-Woods
‘located in a retired, healthy and pleasant situation’
This is an early advertisement for the Female Institute, predecessor of Saint Mary-of-the-Woods College. It appeared
in a Terre Haute, Ind., newspaper. (Image courtesy of Archives)
4 HOPE // SUMMER 2011 www.SistersofProvidence.org 5
H
Cover story
Photo above: This
1930 Archives photo
is of the Holy
Childhood Home in
Kaifeng, China.
Pictured are (left to
right) Sister Marie
Patricia Shortall
(RIP), Mother Marie
Gratia Luking (RIP)
and Sister Mary
Margaretta
Grussinger (RIP).
Valuing education
Mary-of the Woods College stands as the fruit of
those small beginnings!
By 1842, as the Congregation attracted new mem-bers,
Mother Theodore was able to provide sisters
to open a parish school in Jasper, Ind. Over the
years Sisters of Providence were invited to staff
parish schools in other states, eventually traveling
to the East and West Coasts of the United States
not only to teach reading, writing and arithmetic,
but always to show the face of a loving God through
lives that reflected love, mercy and justice.
While education in traditional classrooms seemed
to be the norm for many decades, Sisters of Provi-dence
reached out in other ways to meet pressing
human needs. In 1920, responding to the request
of a bishop in China on behalf of the needs of
abandoned children in his diocese, especially girls,
six Sisters of Providence volunteered to carry the
mission of Providence to the Orient. Expelled from
China by the Communist regime in 1948, the sisters
moved to Taiwan where the mission of Providence
continues to flourish today through the efforts of the
Sisters of Providence and a native congregation, the
Missionary Sisters of Providence. Service is pro-vided
at Providence University and other ministries
that respond to pressing needs of the people.
In the latter half of the 20th century social changes
began to affect the specific ministries of the Con-gregation.
The decline of vocations to religious life
began to show itself. The need for education was
being met by the growth of the public school system
in the United States. Many parishes could no longer
financially support a school and many women and
men who had been taught in SP schools were now
active in sharing that education in their parishes in
other ways than in a school.
In addition, documents of Vatican Council II, such as
“The Church in the Modern World” called the Cath-olic
Church to reach out to the needs of all people,
not just the young. In another document, religious
congregations throughout the world were instructed
to revisit their original charism in order to determine
where the Spirit might be calling them to respond to
the overwhelming needs of people in modern times.
In this issue of HOPE magazine we feature several
of these sponsored ministries of the Sisters of Provi-dence.
It is important, however, to call attention not
only to the fact that there are other sponsored min-istries
in which members engage but also that every
sister regardless of age shares herself and her gifts in
response to the needs of those around her — living
out her commitment to make God’s loving presence
more visible in our world through her own acts of
love, mercy and justice — which might be expressed
in teaching, hospitality, tutoring, visiting prisoners
on death row, volunteering in a food pantry, visiting
the sick and the dying, serving in a clinic to meet the
needs of the sick poor, and certainly praying for the
needs of the world.
Resource suggestion: “Love, Mercy, Justice: A Book
of Practices of the Sisters of Providence” available
at The Gift Shop at Providence Center or
www.ProvCenter.org.
By Sister Bernice Kuper Because in our world a loving God chooses often to respond to human needs
through the actions of each of us, Providence spirituality expresses itself primarily
in service to God’s people. At times this happens through our way of being with one
another; at other times it happens through our actions to help those in need, and it is
always our prayer and relationship with God that keeps us mindful of this responsibility.
The Constitutions of the Sisters of Providence state that “The purpose of this Congregation
is to honor Divine Providence and to further God’s loving plans by devoting itself to works
of love, mercy and justice in service among God’s people.” For 170 years generations of
Sisters of Providence have honored God’s loving presence in the world by trying to make
that presence more visible to others through their own acts of love, mercy and justice.
In 1840, in the person of Mother Theodore Guerin and her five companions, the French
community responded to the request of the bishop of Vincennes for sisters to help educate
the children in frontier families, especially girls. While learning how to live their lives in
a wilderness and trusting in a Provident God to guide them, the sisters opened an Acad-emy
for young girls at Saint Mary-of-the-Woods within a year of their arrival. Today Saint
See EDUCATION on page 5
Education
Continued from page 4
By Sister Ann Casper
Q. Just what are sponsored institutions?
A. Religious congregations through the years have
founded many institutions, especially in education
and health care, and continue in special relation-ship
with them after their establishment. While
each congregation defines sponsorship a little
differently, the most common elements of spon-sorship
include: separate incorporation of the
sponsored institution; the leadership of the con-gregation
serving as members of the corporation
and having certain reserved powers according to
the Articles of Incorporation.
Q. What are examples of reserved powers?
A. Powers reserved to the members of the corpora-tion
may include the approval of the president of
the sponsored institution; approval of its budget;
and approval of any change in its mission.
Q. Who operates the sponsored institution?
A. The sponsored institution is governed by a board
Sponsored institutions 101
See SPONSORED on page 11
6 HOPE // SUMMER 2011 www.SistersofProvidence.org 7
Guerin College Prep
A pleasant sounding instrument
Story by Connie McCammon,
photos by Sister Dawn Tomaszewski
Pedagogical methods have certainly changed since
Sister Kay Manley began teaching at Guerin Col-lege
Preparatory High School (then known as
Mother Theodore Guerin High School), in River
Grove, Ill., in 1993. Teaching methods may come
and go, but a true teacher takes to heart Saint
Mother Theodore Guerin’s wise counsel to “Love
the children first, then teach them.” Sister Kay en-deavors
to use the modern ways of connecting with
students, but she knows Mother Theodore’s advice
is the most important component in creating hope
and breaking boundaries for her students.
“After 17 and three-quarter years of teaching at
Guerin, friends will often suggest that I know it
all by now and teaching should be a breeze,” said
Sister Kay, who teaches freshman and sophomore
theology. “But about five years ago, Guerin Prep
introduced one-to-one computing for students, pro-viding
each student with a computer laptop. Many
of my current colleagues grew up with a laptop on
their highchair. Others were quick to learn the ins
and outs of computer use. I admit I’m the tortoise
at being proficient with a computer.
“During my first PowerPoint presentation I ad-vanced
a slide too soon and panicked. The students
told me to press the back button, and there was the
slide I needed to teach! Since then I’m not embar-rassed
to ask the students ‘how to’ when it comes
to computer applications. They teach me much.
My favorite line, which one senior just quoted to
me recently, is that I always say, ‘I teach theol-ogy,
not technology,’” continued Sister Kay, who
celebrated her golden jubilee in 2008.
Sister Kay may not teach technology, but she has
certainly become very savvy using it. Her chalk-board
has given way to PowerPoint presentations;
scanned charts, graphs and documents; and the use
of Inspiration® software. This software assists Sister
Kay in creating presentations, outlining and visually
mapping content to help students retain information
and to be able to organize and synthesize it.
Students at Guerin are required to take four years of
theology. Sometimes there is a little grousing among
the students about this requirement. Sister Kay pa-tiently
responds to these students, “While you do not
need theology to get into college, you need theol-ogy
to get through life. You will always need to have
God, no matter what college you go to or where you
go in life. … You need to keep up that relationship,”
continued Sister Kay.
“The young girls and boys that I teach are among the
fortunate because their parents have as a priority the
value of Catholic education. So these young people
are involved in 45 minutes on a daily basis in a the-ology
classroom. There’s an opening prayer. There
are intentions for which they wish to pray, and a les-son
about God being involved in their lives through
the Word of God, Scripture, or how Christianity
grew from the time of Jesus to the time of 2011,”
said Sister Kay.
This study of
God also takes
place outside
the classroom
and in God’s
creation.
Students are
involved in
a myriad of
service and
justice pro-grams.
These
service proj-ects
include
ones close
to home like
the annual
“Adopt a
See INSTRUMENT on page 7
Instrument
Continued from page 6
Kid” Christmas program to more global ones in-cluding
Haiti and most recently tsunami and earth-quake
victims in Japan.
“I hope to be an instrument — a pleasant sound-ing
one — to lead [my students] to love God as a
friend. And I hope to be one who has taught them
Background photo: Students in one of Sister Kay
Manley’s theology classes eagerly raise their hands to
respond to a question. Photo at right: Sister Kay with
her laptop in hand, assists a student in a theology class.
GUERIN PREP …
… is a Catholic, co-educational college preparatory
high school.
… was founded in 1962 by the Congregation as an
all-girls school.
… became coeducational in 2004.
… has honors and gifted programs.
… has 30 clubs/organizations and seven honor societies.
… has an exceptional fine arts program. Students
must take fine arts classes as a requirement for
graduation.
… has a current enrollment of 540 students.
… has one of the most extensive computing pro-grams
offered by a secondary school in the Arch-diocese
of Chicago.
… is accredited by AdvancED, formerly North Cen-tral
Association Commission on Accreditation and
School Improvement.
respect for who they are and whose they are and to
spread this respect in all of their daily encounters at
home, in school and with their friends,” said Sister
Kay.
Yes, Sister Kay has been and continues to be a
pleasant sounding instrument, bringing her students
to a fuller understanding of God in their lives by
loving them first and then teaching them. H
Shortly after the outbreak of the Civil War in April
1861, Indiana Gov. Oliver Perry Morton requested
that the Sisters of Providence provide assistance
in the administration of City Hospital in India-napolis,
which had been turned over to the fed-eral
government for the care of soldiers. Mother
Mary Cecilia Bailly, second general superior of the
Congregation, gave her permission for some sisters
to answer this call to duty. During the four years
of the war, the Sisters of Providence provided care
to Union and Confederate soldiers in Indianapolis
and Vincennes, Ind.
With the 150th anniversary of the beginning of
the Civil War this year, the Sisters of Providence
are proud to be a part of the Vigo County Indiana
Civil War Sesquicentennial Project, a special col-lection
of Wabash Valley Visions & Voices (WV3),
a digital memory project. Other partners include
Indiana State University’s Cunningham Memorial
Library, the Vigo County Public Library and the
Vigo County Historical Society. All digitized items
are fully searchable online at http://bit.ly/i3RutH. A
Library Services and Technology Act Mini-Digitiza-tion
Grant from the Indiana State Library provided
funding for this project.
Visit the site and view the Congregation’s Civil
War collection. Items include information and a
few images of the sisters who served during the
war, transcripts from various Indianapolis news-papers
regarding the war, books that address the
war-related service of women religious and letters
from soldiers, among other material.
Congregation Civil War collection available online
8 HOPE // SUMMER 2011 www.SistersofProvidence.org 9
Providence Cristo Rey
Opening
Photo above: Sister
Maureen Fallon
(right) uses SMART
Board technology to
engage her students
in working out
calculus problems.
new doors
hile the Sisters of Providence have a goal of “breaking boundaries, creating
hope” in their work, it’s not often this gets to happen by opening a new school.
But that’s what happened in 2007 when the Congregation sponsored Providence Cristo
Rey High School in Indianapolis. Sister Jeanne Hagelskamp, along with other Sisters of
Providence and volunteers, worked hard with the Cristo Rey Network to create the school,
which is a college prepartory program that includes work study at local businesses. Stu-dents
come from families that cannot afford other private school options.
Students spend four days a week in classes and one day a week at a corporate job site,
such as Eli Lilly, AIT Laboratories, Advantage Heath, many downtown law firms, as well
as St. Vincent, St. Francis and Community hospitals. Businesses receive the benefit of a
full-time employee with five students filling one job, while students receive a substantial
tuition benefit that provides a private school education. The program offers students the
opportunity to build essential job skills while completing their college preparatory pro-gram.
Last year, 100 percent of the students in the Cristo Rey Network were accepted to
college.
Some of these students were at risk of not completing high school and in a few short years
Story and photo by Rosie Blankenship
W
have been transformed into true leaders, on track to
reach significant success in their lives.
Sister Maureen Fallon has been present for this
transformative experience in the school and the
students.
Sister Maureen has taught high school for 30 years
as a Sister of Providence, but Providence Cristo
Rey was her first opportunity to start something
from scratch. “I spent the first week shoveling out
the leftover trash, then I opened my desk drawer
and it was empty,” she said. “It’s part of the thrill.”
There was a big challenge in creating a school
where none existed before. “We were trying to
create a culture of college prep and college ready
where there was none,” she said.
It wasn’t easy, but the faculty
and staff are getting there.
It’s exciting to see, too, that
the culture is developing
with the heavy influence of
the Sisters of Providence
and Saint Mother Theodore
Guerin. All sophomores at
Providence Cristo Rey visit
Saint Mary-of-the-Woods
where they learn about the
foundress, the SP history and
traditions and learn about
White Violet Center for Eco-
Justice.
Portraits of Saint Mother Theodore hang in every
classroom at Providence Cristo Rey and the stu-dents
seem to grasp her importance and influence
on their history. Sister Maureen went with the
volleyball team to a game at St. Theodore Guerin
High School in Noblesville, Ind., and the students
were surprised to see a large portrait of their saint
at the school. “They said, ‘Sister, what’s our saint
doing in their school?’ I told them it was OK – the
school was named after her. They asked, ‘Did they
get permission?’”
The students have surprised Sister Maureen in their
beliefs and relationship to Jesus. “Their spiritual life
is way deeper than anything I have seen,” she said.
“It really gives me hope for the next generation.”
The culture of the school as being born from the
original mission of a saint is one way the sisters are
trying to create a culture. Another is by constant re-inforcement
of the benefits for students of their edu-cation.
“We are really trying to change the culture
of education for these kids,” she said. The school
is open on Saturdays, so students without comput-ers
or a quiet place to study, or who need help with
homework or a term paper, can have access to a
place to work and to assistance with study.
“I think they were told they could be successful,
but they had no idea what that meant,” she said.
“They never had models for success.”
Teachers engage the students in discussions about
current events, even Sister Maureen, who teaches
physics, algebra II and calculus. All of the teachers
encourage the students in their educational quest
toward college. She finds
herself explaining the de-tails
of the process of test-ing,
applying for and being
accepted to college, as well
as telling kids what life will
be like on their own: setting
their own study habits, doing
laundry and all of the experi-ences
that come with college
life. Many of these students
don’t have family and friends
to whom they can look for
this advice and guidance.
“We broaden their experi-ences,
broaden their horizons, and they broaden our
understandings, too,” she said. “We bring in more
global issues than the students have in the forefronts
of their minds.”
And much like the transformation of the school
from a dusty mess to the bright, cheerful education-al
home it is today, Sister Maureen has witnessed
similar transformations in her students. Most of the
kids have never passed an ISTEP test (Indiana’s
standardized test where passing is a requirement for
high school graduation) when they enter Providence
Cristo Rey.
“We don’t give up on them,” she said. “If you
create a culture that says it is OK to be successful,
then the students learn how to do it.”
JUST THE FACTS:
Year opened: 2007
Number of students enrolled: 70
Number of seniors 2011: 25
College scholarships for the Class of 2011:
$1 million
Number of faculty & staff: 27
Number of SP faculty & staff: 4
Continued on page 9
Continued from page 8
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10 HOPE // SUMMER 2011 www.SistersofProvidence.org 11
Woods Day Care/Pre-School
Story and photos by Diane Weidenbenner
aint Mother Theodore Guerin began an educational legacy of
“breaking boundaries, creating hope” in 1840. Just as Saint Mother
Theodore provided loving leadership, service to the needy, a welcom-ing
spirit and a thankful heart, so the Sisters of Providence further this
legacy today at the Woods Day Care/Pre-School (WDC/PS), a sponsored
institution of the Congregation.
Sister Judith Cervizzi has been director of WDC/PS since July 2005. As an SP,
she models the Congregation’s mission (doing works of love, mercy and justice).
She begins her day with prayer and reflection which equips her to handle the day.
Saint Mother Theodore said to “love the children first, then teach them.” Sister Ju-dith
helps to achieve this by offering children a quality curriculum but also a chance for
the children to experience the “beautiful woodland home where Mother Theodore lived,
prayed, participated in the Eucharist … and walked.” Sister Judith also serves as a confi-dant
for some parents whose children attend the day care.
“A mother came to me at closing one day to ask me to suggest a church in the area where
she and her children would feel welcomed. Her young daughter was asking about going to
church and she wanted to provide a good church community for them. She came to me for
guidance because she felt I was a woman of faith, even though she herself was not Catho-lic.”
Sister Judith put her in contact with another sister who worked with local parishes
and an inter-faith group.
Sister Mary Rita Griffin, administrative assistant at
WDC/PS, has always had a heart for the needy. She
has 13 years of experience as an elementary school
principal and 18 years of experience in adminis-tration
with agencies that served the homeless in
Washington, D.C. Her faith affects how she fulfills
her position.
“When Mother Theodore founded schools she tried
to assure that the poor would also be served. Our
center has two sources of fund-ing
for low-income parents. The
WDC/PS participates in the
Child Care Development Fund
(CCDF), an Indiana govern-ment
program that pays day-care
tuition for the children of low-income
parents who are working
and/or attending school. The
Sister Gertrude Smith Scholar-ship
Fund also provides tuition
subsidy for parents in need of financial tuition as-sistance.”
Sister Mary Rita strives to see Jesus in each person.
“Over the desk in my office is a framed piece of
art depicting a tree. The leaves on the tree spell out
the gifts of the Holy Spirit. The roots spell out the
name of Jesus. The name of Jesus is the focal point
of the art. The quote at the bottom is, ‘If the root is
holy, the branches are too,’ from Romans 11:16.”
Sister Mary Rita has experienced joy through
WDC/PS’s efforts to assist six infant children
whose parents were still in high school. “After
completing high school each of these parents has
enrolled in post high school education and is work-ing
part-time. Each of these children’s parents
was eligible to receive CCDF tuition assistance at
WDC/PS,” said Sister Mary Rita.
Sister Mary Ann Phelan offers a welcoming spirit
as a volunteer, part-time receptionist at WDC/
PS. When a parent calls in about an absence, she
“not only inquires about the child’s illness but also
wishes the parent and child well as the illness con-tinues.”
She feels that being a volunteer gives her a
different perspective than going to a job. “The chil-dren
see that the sisters here are truly interested in
them and love them,” said Sister Mary Ann. “Many
of our families aren’t Catholic, but I have explained
to parents who have a gravely ill member about our
devotion to saints and what a relic is. I have offered
relics and prayer cards to them. They accept this
because they see that I respect their beliefs and do
not try to change them,” said Sister Mary Ann.
Sister Hannah Corbin, a canonical novice with
the SPs, is a volunteer teacher’s aide in the infant
room. Sister Hannah sees her ministry as “a way
to share God’s love.” She approaches the infants as
“complete persons, who are manifestations of God
in this world.” As an aide, she
helps to create a supportive, lov-ing
and safe environment. Sister
Hannah is also thankful for the
many blessings she receives from
her ministry.
“The children teach me as well,
what it means to trust, play and
‘be.’ It is ministry because we
bring each other to a greater
wholeness and a deeper connection with all of life,”
said Sister Hannah. When she rocks a fussy baby
to sleep, she encounters her own tendencies to kick
and cry, “resisting the gentle whisper of God to sur-render.”
The other Sisters of Providence that serve at WDC/
PS are Sisters Jackie Hoffman, Lucille Lechner, Mary
Ann Lechner, Jean Anne Maher, Florence Norton,
Margaret Quinlan and Mary Margaret Quinn.
Lovingoving thethe childrenchildren firstfirst
S
See CHILDREN on page 11
Children
Continued from page 10
Sponsored
Continued from page 5
of trustees/directors, which is entrusted with over-all
planning, management and fiscal responsibility
for the institution.
Q. How else is the religious congregation involved?
A. An important responsibility of the sponsoring
congregation is to promote a deeper understand-ing
of the congregation’s mission and heritage
among all the people associated with the spon-sored
institution. Additionally, sisters are encour-aged
to minister in sponsored institutions and to
be aware of the ways it furthers the congrega-tion’s
mission.
Background photo:
One of the walls in
the day care features
the logo of the
preschool and a
list of benefactors.
Photo at right:
Music prodigy Max
Perry plays a few
bars for Sister
Hannah Corbin.
The children see that
the sisters here are truly
interested in them and
love them.
— Sister Mary Ann Phelan
“
”
H
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12 HOPE // SUMMER 2011 www.SistersofProvidence.org 13
Saint Mary-of-the-Woods College
A gadget-happy
Sister
By Dave Cox
Sister Joanne Golding is a self-proclaimed computer
nut. So, she seems to be well connected in ministry
as director of academic computing at Saint Mary-of-the-
Woods College, even though she plans to retire
at the end of the current semester.
A lover of mathematics, she jumped at the opportu-nity
when Indiana State University allowed doctoral
students to switch from two foreign languages to
one language and one unit of computers and statis-tics
to satisfy their degree requirements. That was
in the 1960s, and she’s been plugged in ever since.
“Shortly after I finished my doctorate, I was prin-cipal
at St. Ann School (Terre Haute) for a while
and then I went to work for a computer company in
Chicago. I came back here when the college com-puter
offerings were first beginning in 1982 and I’ve
been here ever since. It’s like the kid who found her
toys,” Sister Joanne said.
She is involved in “everything computer” on the
academic side, including the Woods External Degree
(WED) program. She has seen dramatic opportuni-ties
blossom for those who choose distance learning.
“Let’s take a regular professor who has a campus
class. The faculty would go in two or three times
a week, depending on the powers that be, and they
would teach. For WED students, we used to give
them the books, the syllabus and the assignments,
and say, ‘Now, go home and do this.’ What we are
coming down to now is understanding that teaching
and learning must be more interactive.”
Come August and the new academic year, all
SMWC classes will be available online. WED stu-dents,
as well as Woods On Line students, and tra-ditional
resident students, will have access to every-thing
at their fingertips, including
peer discussion boards, contact
with teachers and advisors, con-tent
that includes everything from
recorded lectures to interactive
movies, virtual office hours for
faculty, even immediate feedback
after taking a quiz. Another
feature allows a student to post a
report, or class assignment, and
massage it up to 10 times before
it goes to the professor for evalu-ation.
“Students can continue massaging their work. In
doing so, they learn better,” Sister Joanne said,
adding that students “had better not pass it along to
their little sister” because of the plagiarism checking
system.
“I think we’re just scratching the surface on what
we are being able to do. I think there is going to be
much more interaction. Much more of the work is
going to fall to the student,” she added.
Sister Joanne also sees a shift to competency-based
education. “I’m going to be educated. I’m going
to talk to people in industry. I’m going to talk to
professors. I may take a class, but there will come
a time when I have to be tested on my competency.
That’s probably what tuition will be in the future.
You pay for the testing of competency, but that’s
years into the future,” she said.
For now, “I think the programs we have are wonder-ful.
I think we are the undiscovered gem in Indiana.
Faculty and staff here do care about their students.
They won’t let them fail if at all possible. It’s im-portant
for a student to walk away from this college
feeling good about herself and saying, ‘I can do it,’”
Sister Joanne said.
She emphasizes that the current trend is not without
challenges. “There are some things that we have not
conquered,” she noted. “How do I know you took
the quiz? How do I know you took the quiz without
looking at the book? We are going to need to de-velop
ways to monitor everything. There are a lot of
dangers, but if you really want to learn, the world
is open to you,” she said.
And, what if this world had been open to her when
she was a traditional, residential student, and not
working at home, having a snack
at 2 o’clock in the morning as
some students do as they work
on their courses?
“I would have been a much bet-ter
student. First of all, I like
the whole idea of gadgets. I’m
gadget happy. I would have spent
much more time with studies. It
would have kept my attention,
especially in courses where I
wasn’t too enthusiastic. When I
did my dissertation, we had to type it on a type-writer.
You remember typewriters?”
Sister Joanne Golding loves being plugged into all sorts of technology. (Photo by Connie McCammon)
Continued on page 13
Continued from page 12
When I did my
dissertation, we had to
type it on a typewriter.
You remember type-writers?
— Sister Joanne Golding
“
”
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14 HOPE // SUMMER 2011 www.SistersofProvidence.org 15
Providence Center
Two new faces welcome visitors, pilgrims
Stories and photos by Becky Igo
Meet Sister Jan Craven
Sister Jan Craven embraces her new role as the
coordinator of the Saint Mother Theodore Guerin
Shrine and is excited about the shrine’s
future as well.
“My vision for the shrine is to continue
the legacy of Saint Mother Theodore
Guerin,” said Sister Jan, who has
been a Sister of Providence almost
32 years and a former member of the
Youngstown Ursulines for 10 years. She
will strive to “continue to share [Moth-er
Theodore’s] wisdom with people,
both far and near” and wants those who
walk the grounds at Saint Mary-of-the-Woods “to
experience a kind of hope they find no place else.”
Sister Jan is grateful to have been called to the min-istry
of overseeing Saint Mother Theodore’s Shrine.
“There is always something new to learn about
her,” Sister Jan said of Saint Mother Theodore. “To
come and know her anew is my hope.”
Sister Jan said each day is different in the shrine
office, which is located in Providence Center, the
welcome center at Saint Mary-of-the-Woods. Prayer
requests arrive daily and meetings to
plan public activities fill her days.
“We are on our way to planning for the
Saint Mother Theodore Guerin Fest,”
Sister Jan said, referring to the event set
for Oct. 21-23 this year. The inaugural
Fest, conducted in 2009, drew hundreds
to Saint Mary-of-the-Woods to celebrate
Saint Mother Theodore’s legacy.
Sister Jan, a native of Youngstown,
Ohio, is a graduate of Youngstown State
University, where she earned a bachelor’s degree
in elementary education. She received a master’s
degree in spirituality from Fordham University in
New York and a master’s degree in the philosophy of
religion and theology from Claremont University in
California. She has ministered as a teacher, director
of religious education, pastoral
associate, provincial councilor,
and tribunal advocate at various
locations in Indiana, Illinois and
California, and also as director of
postulants at Saint Mary-of-the-
Woods.
Currently, the home for the Saint
Mother Theodore Guerin Shrine
is in the Church of the Immacu-late
Conception on the grounds
of the motherhouse. However, the shrine is the focus
Meet Andrew Conner
As the new director of Sisters of Providence Pro-gramming
and Hospitality, Andrew Conner has a
clear vision for the future at Saint Mary-of-the-
Woods.
“I want people to experience the beauty
and peace of this place, and to find a
comfortable and welcoming place to
explore and deepen their spirituality,”
he said. “That isn’t news to people who
have been here before, but there are
more people for us to reach. We don’t
want to be a ‘best-kept secret.’”
Andrew has a natural knack for being
successful at raising awareness. Prior
to his employment with the Sisters
of Providence, he served as executive director
of Downtown Terre Haute Inc. and earlier as an
economic developer with the Indiana Department
of Commerce. As the leader of Downtown Terre
Haute, Andrew was instrumental in breathing new
life into a city that had lost faith in itself. Since
then, the downtown has enjoyed a renaissance and
Terre Haute was named the 2010 Indiana Chamber
Community of the Year.
No doubt Andrew’s past leadership roles
will serve him well in his new position.
At his office in Providence Center, the
official welcome center of the Sisters of
Providence, Andrew works to develop
and coordinate “sustainable programs
that are reverent of the mission of the
Congregation.” On any given day, he
might be meeting with staff at the White
Violet Center for Eco-Justice or attend-ing
one of many organizational meetings
in the Wabash Valley.
Andrew is always on the move, and he is as visible
as he is likeable. Andrew wants to take program-ming
— tours, retreats and public gatherings — to a
higher level.
“Grounded in Mother Theodore’s love of nature, and
in the values of love, mercy and justice, our pro-gramming
will range from seminars and workshops
that challenge, engage and inspire to less-structured
retreats that provide time to unwind, decompress and
recharge,” he said. “We have a special setting and a
special tradition to share. It is an atmosphere that
opens the mind to the importance of sustainability,
the heart to the dignity and worth of each person,
and the soul to the wonder of Creation and love of
the Creator. God is everywhere, but this is a great
place to renew the connection!”
For the future, Andrew looks with excited anticipa-tion
of seeing a new home established for the Saint
Mother Theodore Shrine. That move alone will fos-ter
growth. “As we develop the permanent Shrine of
Saint Mother Theodore, I anticipate that pilgrimages
will become a large part of the daily life at Provi-dence
Center,” he said. “I hope that visitors to the
shrine will be moved in a way that lasts beyond their
tour. The lessons and gifts of Providence are for all
time, even if your introduction begins with just a
brief tour stop.”
Even before serving as the director of Programming
and Hospitality, Andrew has had his own lessons
of exciting plans for the future. Sister Jan said she
looks forward to her involvement with the Saint
Mother Theodore Guerin Shrine Committee, adding
its members have done a “marvelous job, thus far”
in planning for the shrine’s new permanent home at
Saint Mary-of-the-Woods. (For more details about
the shrine, see www.SistersofProvidence.org and
click on “Saint Mother Theodore” at the top of the
page.)
For those who know Saint Mother Theodore well
and others yet unaware, Sister Jan offered this
message: “Make [Saint Mary-of-the-Woods] your
second home. Discover anew your own deep peace
by coming to walk these grounds. Enter into the
shrine of this great Saint of God to unearth your
own saintliness. You are always welcome, again and
again.”
See SISTER JAN on page 15
Sister Jan
Continued from page 14
To learn more about
the Saint Mother
Theodore Guerin
Shrine, the Sisters of
Providence and Saint
Mary-of-the-Woods,
contact Sister Jan at
812-535-2925 or email
jcraven@spsmw.org.
H
Andrew
Continued from page 14
and gifts from Saint Mary-of-the-Woods. He’ll tell
you about the connections he had as a youngster
with the Sisters of Providence as he waited while
his siblings took piano lessons at the Woods. Now,
as an adult, he shares those connections with his
own family. Often, you’ll see his wife, Jill, their
daughter Isabelle, twin sons Charlie and Theo, and
youngest son Henry, enjoying Sunday Brunch, tak-ing
in an event or coming to see the alpacas.
But it’s the word “welcome” that Andrew embraces
most in describing what he wants visitors to experi-ence,
upon arrival and departure, at the Woods.
“We love to share the heritage and history and min-istries
which we have been given, and the sisters
and the staff want visitors to come here,” he said.
“Everyone is welcome.”
See ANDREW on page 15
H
“Living the Legacy NOW!” is the theme of this
year’s Saint Mother Theodore Guerin Fest sched-uled
Oct. 21-23 at Saint Mary-of-the-Woods.
The Fest, sponsored by the Sisters of Providence,
will provide attendees with enlightening and fun
opportunities to learn more about Saint Mother
Theodore.
For more information, contact Sister Jan Craven,
coordinator of the Saint Mother Theodore Shrine
Office, at 812-535-2925 or jcraven@spsmw.org.
MTG Fest date set for Oct.21-23
16 HOPE // SUMMER 2011 www.SistersofProvidence.org 17
Partners in our mission
Trusting
Providence in
By Connie McCammon
“Have confidence in the Providence that so far has never failed us. The
way is not yet clear. Grope along slowly. Do not press matters; be patient,
be trustful.” — Saint Mother Theodore Guerin
“I like this quote because it’s realistic and down to earth. Mother Theodore had a very
good sense of just how hard — and great — life was and her words and wisdom speak to
me about enduring life’s struggle in order to realize life’s re-wards.
And sometimes the way is just not clear and the best
we can do is grope,” reflected Martha Brennan, a planned
giver to the Congregation who resides in Louisville, Ky.
Martha sees life’s struggles every day in her job as a
high school English teacher at Waggener Traditional High
School in Louisville.
“Waggener is a Title I school, and the majority of my
students are at-risk students — many ‘free and reduced
lunch,’ non-native English speakers and other minorities,”
said Martha, a 1986 English graduate of Saint Mary-of-
the-Woods College (SMWC). “It’s hard, demanding,
messy work, but I am constantly amazed that I ‘get’
from my students more than I will ever be able to ‘give’
to them,” continued Martha, who was first introduced to
the Sisters of Providence as a student at Cathedral High
School, Indianapolis.
Martha had to grope along slowly in order to find a ca-reer
for which she is passionate. After graduating from
SMWC in 1986, she worked for the Congregation’s
Communications Office, the forerunner of the Office
of Congregational Advancement (OCA).
“It was through this work that I came to understand
my ‘calling’ to share the gifts and talents I have been
given and have developed,” said Martha, whose life-partner,
Sheila Galvin, is a 1987 SMWC graduate
and a special education teacher.
Martha soon understood that her calling was in the
classroom. But before she could follow this calling,
she returned to SMWC to earn an education cer-tificate.
Martha commenced teaching in 2005 and
during four summers, she earned a master’s degree
in English from Middlebury College in Vermont.
Due to her passion about teaching at-risk students,
Martha is very interested in the Congregation’s
Indianapolis ministry at Providence Cristo Rey High
School.
“The current education problems within our society
are the symptoms of our country’s growing problem
with poverty — the growing gap between the rich
and the poor. I see it every day in my classroom and
my school. To me, Cristo Rey is a ministry that is
trying, in a small way, to provide quality education
to the most neediest in our society which can only
be a positive effort in closing the gap between the
rich and poor, educated and uneducated,” said Mar-tha.
She could also be speaking about what she and
her Waggener colleagues strive to do every day, too.
Martha’s Catholic faith, her parents and the Sisters
of Providence have all helped to form her into the
person and teacher that she is. “Fortunately, both
my parents and the Sisters of Providence bestowed
a value system in me that nurtured a sense of how
to treat others fairly and justly in this world and
share the gifts and talents that were given to me
from a divine source,” said Martha. “The sisters
provided me, and still provide today, a model of
how to ‘be’ in this world through their acts of love,
mercy and justice,” said Martha, who generously
supports the Congregation and has remembered the
sisters in her will.
“It’s one of the ways that I can possibly give back
all that I have received from them and help [them]
to sustain their mission. The SPs do vitally impor-tant
work in this world.”
Martha’s life isn’t all seriousness. Yes, she likes to
read, and she also enjoys traveling, playing a little
golf, walking and doing genealogical work. She
recently purchased a motor scooter that she affec-tionately
calls her “Mid-life Crisis Toy” that she
tools around on.
Just like most everyone else, Martha’s path hasn’t
always been clear, but she gropes along slowly and
trusts in Providence.
Continued on page 17
Continued from page 16
H
Photo below:
Martha Brennan
stands in front of
a portrait of Saint
Mother Theodore
Guerin that adorns
a wall in her home.
(Submitted photo)
18 HOPE // SUMMER 2011 www.SistersofProvidence.org 19
Alumnae news Newsnotes
Alum gatherings are a family affair
Dear Alums,
Have you noticed that there are new faces at the
reunions? I have. Alumnae/i are bringing their
children and grandchildren to reunions, intro-ducing
them to
friends and shar-ing
the stories
from their high
school days. It
is a trend that I
hope continues.
If the thought
has crossed your
mind to invite
your family to a
reunion, please
do so. We love to
extend our Provi-dence
family!
The Heart-to-
Heart fundraiser
in Chicago in
February was the
most successful fundraiser in the area to date. The
proceeds were donated to the renovation of Prov-idence
Hall, the residence of the retired sisters. It
was very gratifying to receive thank you notes for
a fundraiser! A Family Day pig roast will be held
Aug. 14. We look forward to a day of games and
good food.
Reunion plans are in the works for the following
all-school reunions. Please contact your alumnae
representatives for more information. If you need
contact information, please call or email me at
773-463-2478 or spaweski@spsmw.org.
June 5: St. Agnes, Indianapolis
September: St. John, Indianapolis (TBA)
Oct. 1: Marywood, Evanston, Ill.
Oct. 1: St. Rose, Vincennes, Ind.
Oct. 8: Immaculata Prep High School, Immaculata
Junior College and Dunblane School, Washington,
D.C.
Oct. 30: Providence High School, Chicago
It is with sadness
that we mourn
the loss of Mar-garet
Villiger,
class of 1938.
Margaret served
on the St. Co-lumbkille
Alumni
Association Board
for more than 30
years. Please re-member
her and
her family in your
prayers.
Sister Sue Paweski
Photo above: Marywood, Evanston, Ill., class of 1956
members Cecile (Rogers) Dunn, Sue Ann (Sullivan)
Brander and Valerie (Berghoff) Yokie (left to right) enjoy
the Heart-to-Heart fundraiser. (Submitted photo)
Congregation receives award
The Sisters of Providence commitment to diversity
and justice has been recognized by an Indiana media
company.
The Congregation received a Champion of Diversity
award during a recent annual awards program spon-sored
by Indiana Minority Business Magazine.
During the presentation, the Sisters of Providence
were introduced as having “positively impacted
others on virtually every level. … The Sisters of
Providence focus on social justice, anti-racism, eco-justice,
non-violent strategies for peace, immigration
rights and persons living in poverty.”
Sister Jane Marie Osterholt, general officer,
who gave the invocation, accepted the award on
behalf of the Congregation, along with Sister Mau-reen
Fallon, who teaches at Providence Cristo Rey
High School in Indianapolis, and Sister Demetria
Smith, MSOLA, a member of the Congregation’s
Anti-Racism Team.
Green Town Conference date set
The Sisters of Providence and White Violet Center
for Eco-Justice, a ministry of the Sisters of Provi-dence,
are among many partners that make up a
new nonprofit in Indiana and Illinois called Our
Green Valley Alliance for Sustainability (OGVA).
OGVA is bringing
a prestigious event
to Terre Haute
this fall: a Green
Town Confer-ence
that will
highlight ways to
attend to our environment. Green Town is a pre-mier
one-day experience, with innovative speakers
and other offerings, designed to emphasize how to
create healthy, sustainable communities. It is a zero-waste,
carbon-neutral event that will include pre-conference
opportunities as well. It will take place
at Indiana State University Nov. 16-17.
This is the first Green Town event in Indiana.
OGVA hopes people who attend leave the event
energized, educated and better connected. Attendees
will network with others in the community to create
a more sustainable future and come up with tan-gible
programs during the event. For more infor-mation
or to register, please go to
www.OurGreenValley.org.
A big thank you to our donors!
Good old-fashioned phone calls still work! God
bless all of you who took time to chat with your
volunteer-caller during the 2011 Phonathon. The
stories we heard are priceless, the prayer requests
are numerous, the amount
raised in pledges is out-standing,
and the grati-tude
of the Sisters of
Providence is endless!
We do live in a mobile
society, and many of you
weren’t home when we
called. We left you a message, and some of you
have generously responded to those requests.
Thank you!
Our 2011 Phonathon goal is $130,000, and because
of your generosity, more than $67,000 (52 percent)
has been received to date. Outstanding!
It takes many individuals to have a successful pho-nathon,
so we would like to give a special thanks
to the sisters, Providence Associates, Candidate-
Associates, alumnae and staff members who made
countless phone calls, and to those who served as
clerks, cutting, sorting, stuffing, sealing, counting, etc.
A heartfelt thank you to one and all!
Welcome, Sister Anna!
Sister Anna Ho (pictured), a native of Vietnam,
transferred her vows
as a woman reli-gious
to the Sisters
of Providence on Jan.
23. Her siblings from
California, New York
and Oregon came for
the ceremony and her
mother, Anna Nguyen
Thi Phac, joined her
from Vietnam for the festivities. (Submitted photo)
www.SistersofProvidence.org 21
Obituaries
20 HOPE // SUMMER 2011
Sister Theresa Rose Butts April 7, 1915-Dec. 15, 2010
“Sister Theresa Rose kept a wonderful garden, always including Bells of Ireland, and she
baked the best chocolate chip cookies, made with both butter and margarine.”
Sister Theresa Rose entered the Congregation July 15, 1934. She ministered more than
50 years in education in Illinois, Indiana, Maryland and Washington, D.C. Sister Theresa
Rose returned to the Woods in 1996.
Sister Mary Isabelle Welsh June 30, 1918-Dec. 25, 2010
“Sister Mary Isabelle was loving and generous. She loved doing things for people, loved to
be on the go, loved to visit family members and friends.”
Sister Mary Isabelle entered the Congregation Jan. 11, 1936. She spent four decades in
schools in Illinois, Indiana, California and Washington, D.C. Starting in 1979, Sister
Mary Isabelle ministered in Indianapolis at St. Elizabeth Home, St. Philip Neri and
Fatima Retreat House. She returned to the Woods in 1987.
Sister Dorothy Deal (formerly Sister Damien) July 3, 1919-Jan. 2, 2011
“Sister Dorothy was perfect for adult learners, because she was determined that they
would learn.”
Sister Dorothy entered the Congregation Jan. 9, 1937. She ministered in education for
four decades in Indiana, Illinois, Massachusetts and Washington, D.C. Sister Dorothy
ministered several years as the coordinator of facilities at Saint Mary-of-the-Woods Col-lege.
She spent four years serving Annunciation Parish, Brazil, Ind., as a secretary and
religious educator before returning to the Woods in 1990.
Sister Ann Xavier Hau Nov. 12, 1920-March 1, 2011
“Sister Ann Xavier was a friend to all. She reached out to others when she saw difficulty
or sadness.”
Sister Ann Xavier Hau entered the Congregation Jan. 5, 1939. For more than 50 years
she ministered in education as either a teacher or principal in Indiana, Illinois, Maryland,
Missouri and California. She returned to the Woods in 1998.
In memory
“I sleep, but my heart watches … ” — Song of Songs
Sister Mary Alice Zander (formerly Sister Joseph Gertrude) June 12, 1944-March 5, 2011
“Our Providence Associates! Sister Mary Alice gave her all to building this relationship.
She loved this ministry. It was her ‘baby,’ and she continued as she was able after her
surgeries and chemotherapies.”
Sister Mary Alice entered the Congregation Sept. 17, 1962. For 19 years, she ministered
as either an elementary school teacher or coordinator/director of religious education in the
Chicago area. For seven years Sister Mary Alice served as a religious education consultant
for the Archdiocese of Chicago. She ministered six years as the Congregation’s director of
novices and then spent several years in retreat ministry and spiritual direction. Since 2005
Sister Mary Alice served as the director of the Providence Associate Relationship.
Sister Mary Charles Spalding Jan. 7, 1914-March 11, 2011
“Sister Mary Charles took numerous summer courses to keep up to date, especially in her
teaching of religion.”
Sister Mary Charles entered the Congregation on Dec. 24, 1930. She ministered in educa-tion
for more than 50 years in Indiana, Illinois, North Carolina, Oklahoma and Washing-ton,
D.C. She returned to the Woods in 1995.
Sister Frances Maureen McGrory July 23, 1927-March 26, 2011
“Sister Frances Maureen was what we call in community a ‘real school woman.’ She kept
up on all the new school trends and implemented them.”
Sister Frances Maureen entered the Congregation Feb. 2, 1946. She spent four decades as
either a teacher or principal in schools in Indiana and Illinois. She spent several years in
provincial leadership for the Congregation. Sister Frances Maureen returned to the Woods
in 2008.
To read the entire obituary for a sister, visit www.SistersofProvidence.org and look for the
“As seen in HOPE” link.
Continued on page 21
Continued from page 20
Working together
The Sisters of Providence and Saint Mary-of-the-Woods College work together in doing
what they can to prevent recyclables from going to the landfill. This effort to do their
part in saving landfill space and reducing contamination brought in more than $32,000
in 2010.
This recycling program that contributes to the reuse of materials includes scrap metals,
mixed paper, newspapers, glass, plastic, cans and cardboard. The materials are trucked
by an SP Facilities Management staff member to the Indiana State University Recycle
Center, Data Management or Sugar Creek Scrap, all in Vigo County. The earnings from
the aluminum cans are given to Woods Day Care/Pre-School. See the entire 2010 report
and learn more about this recycling collaboration at www.SistersofProvidence.org.
22 HOPE // SUMMER 2011 www.SistersofProvidence.org 23
Upcoming events
Calendar
June
2-5 Wilderness Fast at White Violet Center for Eco-Justice. This retreat weekend is
for anyone who is discerning, wanting to mark a significant “life passage” or seeking
purpose in life. It is based on the Native American Vision Quest Ceremony. Cost is $325.
Registration deadline is May 26. Contact Robyn Morton at 812-535-2932 or
rmorton@spsmw.org.
17-19 Medical Herbalism Course with Matthew Wood at White Violet Center for Eco-
Justice. This course covers plant identification, self-care, wild crafting and basic appli-cations.
Cost is $250 which includes meals. Housing at the Woods costs $45 per night.
Registration deadline: June 1. Contact Robyn Morton at 812-535-2932 or
rmorton@spsmw.org.
25 Golden/Silver Jubilee Celebration, 1:30 p.m. (EDT), Church of the Immaculate Conception.
26 Profession of Vows, Church of the Immaculate Conception.
27-July 8 General Chapter of the Sisters of Providence
July
17-23 Living in a Sacred Universe with Toni Nash, CSJ, and Mary Lou Dolan, CSJ, at
White Violet Center for Eco-Justice. These days will provide participants with the space
to be a learning, reflective community, to move from knowing about this new relation-ship
with Earth, to living within it, building beautiful, sustainable, mutually enhancing
relationships with each being in the Earth community. Cost is $450 and includes meals
and housing. Registration deadline is July 2. Contact Robyn Morton at 812-535-2932 or
rmorton@spsmw.org.
August
9-13 2011 Leadership Conference of Women Religious Assembly, Garden Grove, Calif.
Congregation will have a presence at this event.
14 Come and See Day for women 18-42, California. Contact Sister Jenny Howard at 800-
860-1840 ext. 2897 or jhoward@spsmw.org.
Photo album
Young artists honored at reception
To view more photo albums, visit www.SistersofProvidence.org and look for the “As seen in HOPE” link.
Wabash Valley youth were honored at the Sisters of Providence Youth Art Contest reception March 10 in Providence Cen-ter
at Saint Mary-of-the-Woods. The contest theme was “The Legacy of Saint Mother Theodore Guerin.” Winning awards
were (front row, from left) Ages 5-7: Sophia Miranda, honorable mention; Trinity Miranda, third place; Adah Belle
Shepherd, second place; and Trey Wallace, first place; Ages 8-10: Chloe Storm Isle, honorable mention; Adin Shepherd,
third place; Zachary Klug, second place; and Sarah Chatman, first place; (standing, from left) Ages 11-13: Maddie Lee,
honorable mention; Jamie Hoggatt, third place; Yzabel Tio, second place; and Alexis Klug, first place; and Ages 14-
18: Jonathan Flanary and Carson Seprodi, a tie for honorable mention; Karah Ellis, third place; Allisa Frazier, second
place; and Kristin Bell, first place. (Photo by Becky Igo)
Bill Wolfe, noted Terre Haute artist and
sculptor, has been commissioned to create
four murals for the Vigo County Court House
rotunda that feature prominent scenes in the
county’s history. His first creation is Saint
Mother Theodore Guerin. Done in oils, the
mural shows her life’s journey from birth, to
walking on the Breton shore, arriving aboard
ship in the United States and surviving the
first Indiana winter. Bill, who also serves as a
part-time security guard at Saint Mary-of-the-
Woods, plans to complete the Mother Theo-dore
mural this spring. The other murals will
be Francis Vigo, the county’s founder, and two
panels devoted to the county’s general history.
Keith Ruble, director of the Vigo County Parks
Department and local wood crafter, will build
the frame for the five-foot by 10-foot mural.
(Photo by Dave Cox)
A religious icon of Saint Mother Theodore Guerin was
presented recently to the Sisters of Providence by St.
Theodore Guerin High School of Noblesville, Ind. Several
representatives of the school, including students, traveled
to Saint Mary-of-the-Woods to make the presentation. The
icon, created by Minnesota artist Jan Storms, was blessed
during a Eucharistic Liturgy. Paul Lundsford, the school’s
principal, is shown holding the icon being viewed by (left
to right) Sister Denise Wilkinson, general superior, and
Sisters Paula Damiano, Marie McCarthy, Jane Marie Os-terholt
and Nancy Reynolds, all general officers. (Photo by
Cheryl Casselman)
Mural features Saint Mother Theodore Guerin
Saint Mother Theodore icon presented to Congregation
Sept. 16
9th annual
Hole-y-One
Golf Scramble,
Hulman Links
Golf Course,
Terre Haute.
Contact Diane
Weidenben-ner
for team
registration or
sponsorships at
812-535-2802
or dweidenb@
spsmw.org.
Non-Profit
Organization
U.S. POSTAGE PAID
Indianapolis
Indiana
Permit No. 593
Office of Congregational Advancement
1 Sisters of Providence
Saint Mary-of-the-Woods, IN 47876
RETURN SERVICE REQUESTED
Irish citizens of the year
Sisters Rita Ann Wade (left) and Barbara McClelland enjoy their special recognition as the 2011 Irish Citizens of the
year on March 17. This honor let them sit in a convertible and wave as they led the annual St. Patrick Day Parade in
the state’s capital. Both sisters have grandmothers of Irish heritage. Sisters Rita Ann and Barbara have ministered for
the past 11 years at Miracle Place in an Eastside Indianapolis neighborhood. (Submitted photo)